The history of Mesopotamian cuisine dates back 10,000 years. During the period of pre-Islamic civilizations including the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians, ancient tablets were found containing recipes that were cooked in temples during their religious holidays. Then the influence of Kurdish, Turkish and Jewish cuisine entered Iraqi cuisine.
Dolma: Iraqi cuisine
This dish is one of the most delicious Iraqi dishes, it is a collection of vegetables filled with lamb and rice, its difference from other similar dishes in the region is that Iraqis use unusual types of vegetables such as onions and Beetroot leaves are also used. Pomegranate or tamarind paste is added to the ingredients inside and you can imagine how good these dumplings taste.
Dalimia: iraqi dishes
It is one of the famous Iraqi dishes and it is similar to the food in Levant region, which is called Mansef. Its most important ingredients are meat, rice, and broth, and they make a special mixture of vermicelli, meat, potatoes, and nuts, which is called Tajine. And when serving, it is added on the plate.
Mansef is cooked in Jordan and Syria. Red meat is cooked in curd. And the public food of the people is dinner. Pomegranate is similar to the same food. Kashk is called aqt.
Al-Bariyani al-Iraqi
This is the famous Iraqi Biryani. This dish has an amazing taste due to the use of many spices and flavors with aromatic rice and meat slowly cooked together until the ingredients are well combined. It has many fans in many countries of the Middle East. This food is cooked under the same name Biryani in India and Pakistan, and it is also cooked under the same name in Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia. It should be noted that it has nothing to do with Isfahan Biryani. And there is a dish like Kabsa of meat which is made from rice and meat.
Albaja: Iraqi cuisine
An Iraqi dish that is prepared on special occasions because it takes a lot of time and effort. Its main ingredient is lamb meat, especially the head and a part called Kawari, which is served with Iraqi bread dipped in broth, and something similar in levant. Its name is Bajje, of course, it comes from the same Persian word as Pache, and it is the same as Iranian Kale Pache.
Al-Tashrib: iraqi dishes
A broth consisting of meat, peas, chicken or lamb is prepared. They grate the bread and put it in a bowl and pour this broth on it. This dish is similar to Iranian broth (Abgusht).
You can predict the intensity of flavor from the combination of soft bread and spicy broth, which is often cooked with tomatoes, which is the main attraction of this delicious dish.
Maskouf fish
An authentic Iraqi grilled fish dish in which tender fish meat is coated with olive oil, salt, tamarind and turmeric and roasted for hours on low heat, giving you a taste that you will definitely not forget!
Qozi: Iraqi cuisine
It is a whole lamb stuffed with rice, vegetables, nuts and spices and cooked at a very low temperature in the oven or oven. The use of charcoal gives this dish a smoky taste, and the rice and aromatic vegetables contribute to its unique taste.
Tabsi Al Bazanjan
This dish is one of the most popular dishes and every family has its own unique way of preparing it, and it is a kind of tagine, which is made of delicious fried eggplant wrapped around small meatballs, all cooked in a delicious tomato sauce.
AlQeyma: Iraqi cuisine
This is a very common minced meat dish in different parts of the world, especially in the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, but the way it is cooked in Iraq is completely different from others, because the minced meat blends perfectly with the taste of chickpeas. And the thick and spicy broth gives you a very delicious taste.
Al-Gass Al-Iraqi
This is a hearty street food that is loved by many people and is similar to the famous shawarma in Arab countries, which can be made from meat or chicken with a mixture of distinctive Iraqi spices. It is very similar to Turkish Doner kebab.
Alkalija (cookie)
One of the famous Iraqi sweets is kalija, which is made of flour and filled with dates, honey, sugar, date juice or some nuts.
Nomi Basra
This spice is very famous in Iraq and it is used for various purposes in cooking or drinking in coffee houses, houses or by sellers as a kind of drink and sometimes it is ground and mixed with tea leaves. This spice is known as Omani lemon in Iran. It is dried lemon.
Al-Fessenjun al-Iraqi
It is very similar to Iranian Fasanjoon and came to this land from Iran. which is a mixture of walnut stew that is poured over rice. Red meat or chicken is used according to taste. In its Iraqi version, pomegranate seeds are used.
Al-Qabsa al-Iraqi
Qabsa is generally a famous food among Arab countries. And usually it is chicken pilaf, which is made in a different way. The taste of Iraqi kebabs is different from the ones in different countries.
In general, kabsa and biryani have a similar appearance. But in biryani, chicken is usually cooked with rice. While in kabsa, the chicken is cooked separately and placed on top of the rice.
Kobbah: iraqi dishes
This food is rice dumplings with meat filling inside and is a symbol of Arabic and Iraqi cooking. Depending on the taste, the filling inside can be changed. It is a very interesting and delicious food, and of course, cooking it requires taste and patience. Rice dumplings fried in oil take on a crust-like appearance and are usually eaten with ketchup.
Al Bazanjaniyah: Iraqi cuisine
This one is a type of salad that is made from eggplant and it is called eggplant salad or simply, bazanjaniya. It’s kind of like a Shirazi salad, only instead of onions, they add fried and chopped eggplant to it. They put it in the fridge so that the flavors blend together. This is a popular salad in Iraq. This delicious salad is served with the main dish.
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Samoon bread
In Iraq, usually, western sandwich bread is not used for making sandwiches, but they have their own type of bread, which is called Samoun. This bread looks like a big rhombus. And they put the contents of the sandwich inside it.
Last word
Iraqi cuisine is very diverse due to its proximity to different cultures and countries and has been influenced by all these countries and cities. While the basis of many Iraqi dishes is the same as in other Arab countries and we see dishes such as kabse and biryani or tashrib in it, however, influences from Iranian culture are also seen in it, such as fasanjoon, Qeyme, pache and abgousht. Iraq has a variety of foods that you can enjoy while traveling to this beautiful country, or you can even use them in your diet. The difference between Iraqi food and other Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia is that Saudi food is heavily based on meat, but Iraqi food uses a wider variety of foods such as vegetables, nuts, pomegranate paste, and various spices.
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